World Cup dream dead
Margaret Kunihira (L) and her teammates in action and celebrating a victory on their qualification trail. The celebrations are no more after Fifa dropped the bombshell about the cancellation of the global showpiece due to the post effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. PHOTOS/ JOHN BATANUDDE & ISMAIL KEZAALA
What you need to know:
- Uganda were on the brink of qualification albeit with a pending final qualification round match against continental giants Cameroon.
Uganda will have to build a new core group after the Fifa elected to cancel the 2020 Women’s U-17 World Cup that was due in India early next year.
The two-legged qualifier, which had already been postponed from May owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, was due to take place at the end of October in Kampala and a fortnight later in Yaoundé but was again called off by Caf.
Bombshell about cancellation
No new dates had been set by the time Fifa dropped the bombshell about cancellation of the tournament altogether.
“As a result and after careful consideration of the feedback received by the stakeholders combined with the inability to further postpone these tournaments, the Fifa-Confederations Covid-19 Working Group subsequently recommended that the 2020 editions of the two women’s youth tournaments be cancelled,” the world governing body wrote on their website on Tuesday night. Fortunately for India and Costa Rica, which was supposed to host the U-20 Women’s World Cup, they will get another chance to host the next edition of the tournaments in 2022.
On India’s part, as reported by Hindustan Times, their federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel, said they “agreed with Fifa that hosting the tournament without proper qualifications and spectators led to more uncertainty, and would have taken away from our objective of developing and promoting women’s football. We now have a unique opportunity to start afresh and still have a considerable head start from the work that has been already put in.”
Margaret Kunihira controls the ball during a past match.PHOTO/NMG
For Uganda though, coach Ayub Khalifan, whose side was awarded Team of the Year (for winning the Cecafa and Cosafa 2019 U-17 tournaments) at the Uspa Awards Gala held Wednesday at Serena Hotel – Kampala, likened the events of the day to “losing your life on the day you celebrate your birthday.”
“I woke up to the news that the tournament had been cancelled then I came here (Serena) and we won this (award).
I do not even know whether I should be celebrating especially because my thoughts are with the girls that worked so hard to get here and cannot have another chance to expose their talents at this level.”
Big misses
Captain and top scorer Juliet Nalukenge and her partner in crime Fauzia Najjemba will be ineligible for the U-17s when the 2022 qualifiers come around. They graduate to the more competitive U-20 stage.
Khalifan will also lose his defensive quartet of Stella Musibika, Samalie Nakacwa, Bira Nadunga and Sumayah Komuntale while Grace Aluka and Shamirah Nalugya, who were belatedly added to the team will also graduate to the next level alongside squad members Patricia Akiror, Gillian Akadinda and Moureen Nangonzi.
“We recognize the re-building job we have to do but my humble prayer is that that core is kept together for generations to come.”
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